


The Ghost Ship

by Henry_The_Dark_Mage



Category: Original Work
Genre: Budding Love, Demonic Possession, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Stahl is oblivious, Work In Progress, ending is being reworked, still figuring out how tags work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28514046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Henry_The_Dark_Mage/pseuds/Henry_The_Dark_Mage
Summary: London, 1939. A trio of curious teens are investigating to see if the rumours of a phantom merchant's ship are true, or just an urban legend.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	The Ghost Ship

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, y'all! This is the first time I've ever published a story on Ao3, so I apologize if there are any formatting issues. I've been wanting to get this story published for quite some time now because despite being written for a short story prompt for my English class, I felt that it had the potential to become a full story. The ending most likely will seem rushed because it was (I couldn't figure out a good way to end the story while keeping it below 4 pages on a google doc). Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated because it'll help me improve this story!

The Ghost Ship

_London, 1939_

Three boys waited on a hill above the abandoned pier, their surroundings shrouded in mist. Two of the boys were crouching, searching frantically for the only source of light they had brought with themselves, while the third stood a few paces behind them, visibly quaking with anxiety. 

“Stahl! Where’s the lantern?” screeched Henry, as he turned to glare menacingly at Stahl. 

The brunette flinched from Henry’s shouting before he frantically looked around to ensure that no one heard them. Taking a few uncertain steps towards Henry, he began to speak softly. 

“Henry, keep it down, you’re gonna-” Stahl yelped as he stumbled over a metal object, which fell over with a muffled _thud._ “I think I found it,” whispered Stahl, as he fumbled around in his attempt to locate where the lantern had fallen. 

“Got it,” Henry said coldly, snatching the lantern out of Stahl’s hands before he began feeling around in his pockets for the matches. Henry then struck a match, igniting it, before he lit the lantern. Smirking, he raised the lantern over his head, before he called out loudly into the misty darkness: “Captain Veld? Captain Griffin Veld? I know you’re out there. Come out, we aren’t afraid of you!” Henry’s voice wavered slightly, and at that moment Ricken, who had been standing silently behind them, realized that both Stahl and Henry were shaking with nervousness. Henry took a deep breath before murmuring, “Here goes nothing.” _He swung his lantern three times, and slowly the schooner appeared._

It was truly an eerie sight to behold: a small, weather-beaten ship that was devoid of any candles or lanterns, and yet, somehow still seemed to glow sinisterly from within. As Stahl and Henry watched the ship glide to a stop alongside the abandoned pier, Ricken walked over to join them, his teeth chattering with nervousness. “Guys,” Ricken began, “ We should probably just go home and pretend that this never happened.” 

Henry suddenly turned to face him, face contorted with rage. “And why should we do that, Ricken?” the platinum-haired boy snapped. 

Ricken began shaking like a leaf in a violent storm as he eyed the now-unmoving ship at the pier. “Unlike you two idiots, I don’t wanna get myself cursed!” he cried before he sprinted away from the pier as fast as he possibly could. 

Henry watched him with distaste before he turned to Stahl and said, “Let’s go. I’m sick of waiting, and I wanna see what’s on that ship!” Stahl looked at Henry nervously but said nothing.

The two boys ran to the pier, pausing for a few moments before boarding the boat. As they stepped onto the deck, the wooden boards creaked and groaned loudly beneath their feet, nearly giving way in some places. 

“ Henry” Stahl began, “ I don’t think that the floor can handle our weight.” 

“It will,” said Henry, his voice sounding abnormally distant.

“H-Henry? Are you okay?” Stahl croaked, as he suddenly had the sensation of a heavy weight pressing down on his chest. As he tried to gasp for air, a horribly familiar sense of sheer terror enveloped him.

Henry seemed to be frozen in place for an eternity, eyes glazed over and unseeing, but he quickly snapped out of his strange trance, and immediately he noticed that Stahl appeared to be having a panic attack. 

“Stahl? Stahl?!” cried Henry, alarmed by what was happening to Stahl. He quickly reached out and grabbed Stahl, wrapping him in a gentle embrace. As embarrassed as he was to admit it, Henry had very strong feelings for Stahl, and seeing him suffering from yet another panic attack made his heartache. 

“It’s okay, Stahl. Everything is going to be okay. I’m here for you. I’ll protect you.” cooed Henry. He patted Stahl on the back in an attempt to calm him. “Why don’t we go up on deck, huh? Get some fresh air?” Stahl nodded, an iron grip on Henry’s arm. 

Relying on each other, the pair made their way up the stairs. Henry grabbed the door at the top of the stairs and flung the door open, hoping that it would reach fresh air. Instead, he found a dimly lit room that had an overpowering smell of mold. Adjusting his eyes to the light, he found bookshelves upon bookshelves. A single, ratty book lay on a desk in the middle of the room.

“What is _that_?” asked Stahl, still shaking and grabbing onto his friend for dear life. Henry sat his friend down. 

“I don’t know; let’s find out, yeah?” He crept forward and gingerly picked the book up. Turning it over, he saw just how old it was. The cover was apparently once green; age had caused it to fade to a sickly yellow. As soon as Henry came in contact with the book, a strange, numbing sensation washed over him, and his surroundings faded into a lightless void.

“Henry?” asked Stahl, staring fearfully at Henry, whose body had become completely rigid. Henry suddenly turned to look at him, his eyes no longer ocean blue, but a sickly yellow-green. 

“My name is Captain Veld. And you are trespassing on my ship.” 

And with those words spoken, the now-possessed Henry grabbed a dagger from his coat pocket, before he buried the blade into Stahl’s ribcage. Stahl was in so much shock that he could only watch, paralyzed, as “Henry'' dragged him down the stairs to the edge of the ship before he was dropped overboard. The final thing he saw was darkness, as the murky water flooded his lungs.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to stay up-to-date on new story announcements, or if you'd like to participate in polls for deciding themes of future stories and fanfics, then please follow me at @Henry_The_Dark_Mage on Twitter!


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